U.S. patent application number 13/612853 was filed with the patent office on 2013-05-30 for holding structure and portable electronic apparatus therewith.
The applicant listed for this patent is Yen-Chang Cheng. Invention is credited to Yen-Chang Cheng.
Application Number | 20130135798 13/612853 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48466694 |
Filed Date | 2013-05-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130135798 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cheng; Yen-Chang |
May 30, 2013 |
HOLDING STRUCTURE AND PORTABLE ELECTRONIC APPARATUS THEREWITH
Abstract
A holding structure and a portable electronic apparatus
therewith are disclosed. The holding structure includes a mount
structure and a movable member. The mount structure includes a
constraining portion having an accommodating space and an opening.
The movable member includes a carrier having an engaging structure.
When an end portion of a pencil object is inserted into the
constraining portion from the opening to be accommodated together
with the carrier in the accommodating space, the constraining
portion constrains deformation of the engaging structure such that
the engaging structure is engaged with the end portion. The end
portion is therefore hardly extracted out. When the carrier departs
from the accommodating space, the engaging structure and the end
portion are disengaged. The end portion is therefore easily
extracted out. The invention uses structure to constrain
deformation, which can provide stable holding strength without any
metal spring.
Inventors: |
Cheng; Yen-Chang; (New
Taipei City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Cheng; Yen-Chang |
New Taipei City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
48466694 |
Appl. No.: |
13/612853 |
Filed: |
September 13, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
361/679.01 ;
248/316.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 403/7064 20150115;
H04M 1/0202 20130101; G06F 1/1656 20130101; H04M 1/21 20130101;
G06F 2200/1632 20130101; G06F 3/03545 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
361/679.01 ;
248/316.2 |
International
Class: |
H05K 5/02 20060101
H05K005/02; A47F 7/00 20060101 A47F007/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 24, 2011 |
TW |
100143094 |
Claims
1. A holding structure for holding an end portion of an object, the
holding structure comprising: a mount structure comprising a
constraining portion, the constraining portion having an
accommodating space and an opening communicating with the
accommodating space; and a movable member capable of moving
relative to the mount structure, the movable member comprising a
carrier, the carrier comprising an engaging structure for being
engaged with the end portion, wherein when the end portion is
inserted into the constraining portion from the opening to be
accommodated together with the carrier in the accommodating space,
the constraining portion constrains deformation of the engaging
structure such that the engaging structure is engaged with the end
portion, and when the carrier departs from the accommodating space,
the engaging structure and the end portion are disengaged.
2. The holding structure of claim 1, wherein the engaging structure
comprises a first flexible claw and a first protrusion disposed on
the first flexible claw, and when the carrier is accommodated in
the accommodating space, the first protrusion is wedged in a groove
formed on a surface of the end portion.
3. The holding structure of claim 2, wherein the first flexible
claw has a free end, and the first protrusion is formed on the free
end.
4. The holding structure of claim 2, wherein the engaging structure
comprises a second flexible claw, disposed opposite to the first
flexible claw, and a second protrusion, disposed on the second
flexible claw, and when the carrier is accommodated in the
accommodating space, the second protrusion is wedged in the
groove.
5. The holding structure of claim 2, wherein the engaging structure
comprises a second flexible claw, a third flexible claw, a second
protrusion disposed on the second flexible claw, and a third
protrusion disposed on the third flexible claw, when the carrier is
accommodated in the accommodating space, the second protrusion and
the third protrusion are wedged in the groove, and a geometric
center of a cross section of the end portion passing through the
groove is located within an area enclosed by the first protrusion,
the second protrusion, and the third protrusion.
6. The holding structure of claim 5, wherein the constraining
portion comprises three ribs formed in the accommodating space, and
the ribs are disposed corresponding to the first flexible claw, the
second flexible claw, and the third flexible claw respectively so
as to be against the first flexible claw, the second flexible claw,
and the third flexible claw when the carrier is accommodated in the
accommodating space.
7. The holding structure of claim 2, wherein the carrier comprises
a push portion connected to the first flexible claw, and the push
portion is capable of being pushed by the end portion to move the
movable member toward the mount structure.
8. The holding structure of claim 1, wherein the constraining
portion is a tubular structure.
9. The holding structure of claim 1, wherein a profile of the
accommodating space matches with a profile of the end portion.
10. The holding structure of claim 1, wherein the mount structure
comprises an engagement portion connected to the constraining
portion, the engagement portion has a slide, the movable member
comprises a sliding portion connected to the carrier, and the
sliding portion slides in the slide so that the carrier is capable
of sliding in or sliding out the accommodating space from the
opening.
11. The holding structure of claim 10, wherein the sliding portion
comprises a plurality of protrusive sliders at two opposite sides
thereof for sliding on sidewalls of the slide.
12. The holding structure of claim 10, further comprising a
push-push mechanism disposed on the engagement portion and the
sliding portion so that the carrier is capable of staying in the
accommodating space.
13. A portable electronic apparatus with holding structure,
comprising: a casing having an inlet; a pencil object having an end
portion; and a holding structure disposed in the casing, the pencil
object being capable of being inserted into the casing from the
inlet so that the end portion is held by the holding structure, the
holding structure comprising: a mount structure comprising a
constraining portion, the constraining portion having an
accommodating space and an opening communicating with the
accommodating space; and a movable member capable of moving
relative to the mount structure, the movable member comprising a
carrier, the carrier comprising an engaging structure for being
engaged with the end portion, wherein when the end portion is
inserted into the constraining portion from the opening to be
accommodated together with the carrier in the accommodating space,
the constraining portion constrains deformation of the engaging
structure such that the engaging structure is engaged with the end
portion, and when the carrier departs from the accommodating space,
the engaging structure and the end portion are disengaged.
14. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 13, wherein a groove
formed on a surface of the end portion, the engaging structure
comprises a first flexible claw, a second flexible claw disposed
opposite to the first flexible claw, a first protrusion disposed on
the first flexible claw, and a second protrusion disposed on the
second flexible claw, and when the carrier is accommodated in the
accommodating space, the first protrusion and the second protrusion
are wedged in the groove.
15. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 13, wherein a groove
formed on a surface of the end portion, the engaging structure
comprises a first flexible claw, a second flexible claw, a third
flexible claw, a first protrusion disposed on the first flexible
claw, a second protrusion disposed on the second flexible claw, and
a third protrusion disposed on the third flexible claw, when the
carrier is accommodated in the accommodating space, the first
protrusion, the second protrusion, and the third protrusion are
wedged in the groove, and a geometric center of a cross section of
the end portion passing through the groove is located within an
area enclosed by the first protrusion, the second protrusion, and
the third protrusion.
16. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 15, wherein the
constraining portion comprises three ribs formed in the
accommodating space, and the ribs are disposed corresponding to the
first flexible claw, the second flexible claw, and the third
flexible claw respectively so as to be against the first flexible
claw, the second flexible claw, and the third flexible claw when
the carrier is accommodated in the accommodating space.
17. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 13, wherein the
constraining portion is a tubular structure.
18. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 13, wherein the
mount structure comprises an engagement portion connected to the
constraining portion, the engagement portion has a slide, the
movable member comprises a sliding portion connected to the
carrier, and the sliding portion slides in the slide so that the
carrier is capable of sliding in or sliding out the accommodating
space from the opening.
19. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 18, further
comprising a push-push mechanism disposed on the engagement portion
and the sliding portion so that the carrier is capable of staying
in the accommodating space.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a holding structure and a portable
electronic apparatus, and especially relates to a holding structure
using structure to constrain deformation and a portable electronic
apparatus with the holding structure.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] As touch technique matures, many current portable electronic
apparatuses such as personal digital assistants, tablet computers,
smart phones and so on are provided with touch control function. In
general, the screen of such apparatus is not large, so images or
icons displayed on the screen are small. It is difficult to touch
the images or icons precisely only by fingers, which bothers users.
Therefore, such apparatus is usually equipped with a touch pen for
precise touch operation. In the design for the current products,
the touch pen is accommodated by directly inserting into the
apparatus casing. The simplest way for holding the touch pen is
based on friction force, but the holding effect will decay because
of long-term wearing. Therefore, in order to fixedly accommodating
the touch pen effectively and for convenience of a user to extract
it out or insert it in, in general, a metal spring is disposed in
the apparatus casing. The elastic force by the metal spring is used
for holding the touch pen to keep it from falling. However, in such
structural design, the insertion force and the extraction force are
the same, even equip to the force for fixedly folding the touch
pen. Under a consideration of extracting out and inserting in
easily for users, the elastic force for the extraction and the
insertion is not proper to be too large; however, such elastic
force may be insufficient for fixing the touch pen. The touch pen
may be extracted unexpectedly to be fallen and lost, which is
inconvenient to users. In addition, the holding force by the metal
spring may decay because of the elasticity fatigue of the metal
spring, which makes the above situation worse.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] An objective of the invention is to provide a holding
structure, which uses structure to constrain deformation to provide
a larger holding force so as to effectively prevent a held object
from being fallen unexpectedly.
[0006] The holding structure of the invention is used for holding
an end portion of an object. The holding structure includes a mount
structure and a movable member. The mount structure includes a
constraining portion. The constraining portion has an accommodating
space and an opening communicating with the accommodating space.
The movable member is capable of moving relative to the mount
structure. The movable member includes a carrier. The carrier
includes an engaging structure for being engaged with the end
portion. When the end portion is inserted into the constraining
portion from the opening to be accommodated together with the
carrier in the accommodating space, the constraining portion
constrains deformation of the engaging structure such that the
engaging structure is engaged with the end portion. When the
carrier departs from the accommodating space, the engaging
structure and the end portion are disengaged. Therefore, the
holding structure uses structure to constrain the deformation so as
to provide a stable holding force, which avoids the problem in the
prior art that the holding force by the metal spring decays because
of the elasticity fatigue of the metal spring. In principle, the
holding force by structural constraint is larger than that by the
metal spring, so the holding structure has the effect of providing
high holding force. Furthermore, when the carrier is not located in
the accommodating space, the engaging structure and the end portion
are disengaged, so a user can extract or insert the object in a
smaller force. That is, the holding force and the forces for
extraction and insertion of the holding structure can be designed
individually, so as to meet actual requirements better.
[0007] Another objective of the invention is to provide a portable
electronic apparatus having the holding structure of the invention.
Similarly, the portable electronic apparatus also uses structure to
constrain deformation to provide larger holding force, so as to
effectively prevent an object which is inserted in the portable
electronic apparatus to be held from being fallen unexpectedly.
[0008] The portable electronic apparatus of the invention includes
a casing, a pencil object, and a holding structure. The casing has
an inlet. The pencil object has an end portion. The holding
structure is disposed in the casing. The pencil object is capable
of being inserted into the casing from the inlet to be held by the
holding structure. The holding structure includes a mount structure
and a movable member. The mount structure includes a constraining
portion. The constraining portion has an accommodating space and an
opening communicating with the accommodating space. The movable
member is capable of moving relative to the mount structure. The
movable member includes a carrier. The carrier includes an engaging
structure for being engaged with the end portion. When the end
portion is inserted into the constraining portion from the opening
to be accommodated together with the carrier in the accommodating
space, the constraining portion deformation of the engaging
structure such that the engaging structure is engaged with the end
portion. When the carrier departs from the accommodating space, the
engaging structure and the end portion are disengaged. Similarly,
the portable electronic apparatus also uses structural constraint
to provide stable holding force, which avoids the problem in the
prior art that the holding force by the metal spring decays because
of the elasticity fatigue of the metal spring. Furthermore, the
portable electronic apparatus can allow flexibility in designing
the holding force quite different to the forces of extraction and
insertion by the property that the engaging structure and the end
portion are disengaged when the carrier is not located in the
accommodating space. In addition, in practical product design, a
part structure of the holding structure, especially the
constraining portion can be formed on the inner wall of the casing,
which further improves the capability and stability of the
constraining portion constraining the deformation of the engaging
structure.
[0009] These and other objectives of the invention will no doubt
become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading
the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that
is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a back view of a portable electronic apparatus of
a preferred embodiment according to the invention.
[0011] FIG. 2, which is a exploded view of the holding structure of
the portable electronic apparatus in FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a top view of the mount structure of the holding
structure in FIG. 2.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the movable
member according to another embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the pencil object
and the holding structure of the portable electronic apparatus in
FIG. 1 before being engaged.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the pencil object
and the holding structure of the portable electronic apparatus in
FIG. 1 after being engaged.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the pencil object and the
holding structure in FIG. 6.
[0017] FIG. 8 is another sectional view of the pencil object and
the holding structure in FIG. 6.
[0018] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the pencil object engaged with
the holding structure according to another embodiment.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the pencil object engaged
with the holding structure according to another embodiment.
[0020] FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the pencil object engaged
with the holding structure according to another embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 12 is a side view of the holding structure according to
another embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the pencil object and the
holding structure before being engaged according to another
embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the pencil object engaged
with the holding structure in FIG. 13.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a back view of a portable
electronic apparatus 1 of a preferred embodiment according to the
invention. The portable electronic apparatus 1 includes a casing
12, a pencil object 14, and a holding structure 16. The casing 12
has an inlet 122 and a passage 124. The holding structure 16 is
disposed in the casing 12. The pencil object 14 has an end portion
142. The pencil object 14 can be inserted into the casing 12 from
the inlet 122 to pass through the passage 124 so that the end
portion 142 is held by the holding structure 16. In the embodiment,
the portable electronic apparatus 1 is a tablet computer, and the
pencil object 14 is a touch pen. In a practical application, the
portable electronic apparatus 1 can be a personal digital
assistant, a smart phone or other portable electronic apparatus,
and the pencil object 14 can be any object whose end portion can be
held by the holding structure 16. In addition, in practice, the
passage 124 may be realized without physical structure; in
principle, it is practicable as long as the passage 124 can provide
space for the pencil object 14 to pass through. If the passage 124
is realized by physical structure, the stability of the pencil
object 14 being inserted into the casing 12 can be enhanced.
[0025] Please refer to FIG. 2, which is an exploded view of the
holding structure 16. The holding structure 16 includes a mount
structure 162, a movable member 164, and a push-push mechanism 166.
The mount structure 162 includes a constraining portion 1622, an
engagement portion 1624 connected to the constraining portion 1622,
and a protection cover 1626. The constraining portion 1622 has an
accommodating space 16222 and an opening 16224 communicating with
the accommodating space 16222. The engagement portion 1624 has a
slide 16242. The protection cover 1626 is engaged to the engagement
portion 1624 and covers the slide 16242. The movable member 164
includes a carrier 1642 and a sliding portion 1644 of the carrier
1642. The sliding portion 1644 slides in the slide 16242 so that
the carrier 1642 can slide in or slide out the accommodating space
16222 from the opening 16224, so as to achieve the result that the
movable member 164 can move relative to the mount structure 162.
The carrier 1642 includes a push portion 16422 and an engaging
structure 16424. The push portion 16422 connects the engaging
structure 16424 and the sliding portion 1644. The engaging
structure 16424 is used for engaging with the end portion 142 of
the pencil object 14.
[0026] When the carrier 1642 is accommodated in the accommodating
space 16222, the constraining portion 1622 constrains deformation
of the engaging structure 16424. In the embodiment, the engaging
structure 16424 includes a first flexible claw 16424a, a first
protrusion 16424b disposed on the first flexible claw 16424a, a
second flexible claw 16424c, a second protrusion 16424d (not shown
in FIG. 2, please referring to FIG. 5) disposed on the second
flexible claw 16424c, a third flexible claw 16424e, and a third
protrusion 16424f disposed on the third flexible claw 16424e. The
constraining portion 1622 includes three ribs 1622a, 1622b and
1622c forming the accommodating space 16222 and disposed
corresponding to the first flexible claw 16424a, the second
flexible claw 16424c, and the third flexible claw 16424e
respectively. Thereby, when the carrier 1642 is accommodated in the
accommodating space 16222, the ribs 1622a, 1622b and 1622c can urge
against the first flexible claw 16424a, the second flexible claw
16424c, and the third flexible claw 16424e respectively so as to
constrain the deformation of the engaging structure 16424.
[0027] Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a top view of
the mount structure 162. The push-push mechanism 166 includes a
guided bar 1662, a guiding and positioning groove 1664, a spring
1666, and a positioning boss 1668. The guiding and positioning
groove 1664 is formed in the slide 16242. An end of the guided bar
1662 is pivotally connected to the sliding portion 1644; the other
end of the guided bar 1662 is guided to slide in the guiding and
positioning groove 1664. The positioning boss 1668 is mounted on
the engagement portion 1624. The spring 1666 is sleeved on the
positioning boss 1668 and urges against the engagement portion 1624
and the sliding portion 1644 to drive the sliding portion 1644 to
move away from the engagement portion 1624. In the embodiment, the
guiding and positioning groove 1664 forms a circular path with
height differences at the bottom thereof. The path direction
thereof is shown by arrows in FIG. 3. Because of elasticity of the
spring 1666, the guided bar 1662 can stay at a first position 1664a
and a second position 1664b selectively. When the guided bar 1662
stays at the first position 1664a, the carrier 1642 departs from
the accommodating space 16222; when the guided bar 1662 stays at
the second position 1664b, the carrier 1642 is accommodated in the
accommodating space 16222. In practice, the push-push mechanism of
the invention is not limited thereto. In principle, any mechanism
which can selectively keep the carrier 1642 in the accommodating
space 16222 is applicable to the invention. For example, in another
embodiment, the carrier 1642 can be held in the accommodating space
16222 by a pin locking the movable member 164.
[0028] It is added that the sliding portion 1644 uses its sidewalls
and bottom surface to slide in the slide 16242. In practice,
lubricant can be coated on the contact surfaces between the sliding
portion 1644 and the slide 16242 for reducing friction
therebetween; however, the invention is not limited thereto. Please
refer to FIG. 4, which is a schematic diagram illustrating the
movable member 165 according to another embodiment. The movable
member 165 forms a plurality of protrusive sliders 16442 on
opposite sides respectively of the sliding portion 1644. Thereby,
the sliding portion 1644 slides on the sidewalls of the slide 16242
by the sliders 16442, so as to reducing the wearing degree of the
sliding portion 1644 to extend service life of the movable member
165.
[0029] Please refer to FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIGS. 5 through 7. FIG. 5
is a schematic diagram illustrating the pencil object 14 and the
holding structure 16 before being engaged. FIG. 6 is a schematic
diagram illustrating the pencil object 14 and the holding structure
16 after being engaged. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the pencil
object 14 and the holding structure 16 in FIG. 6. Before the pencil
object 14 is inserted into the holding structure 16, the engaging
structure 16424 extends out the constraining portion 1622, as shown
in FIG. 5. At this moment, the guided bar 1662 stays at the first
position 1664a. In the embodiment, the engaging structure 16424 is
designed in flexible structure. The holding force by the engaging
structure 16424 is less at this situation, so a user can easily
insert the end portion 142 of the pencil object 14 into the carrier
1642 to push the push portion 16422. In another aspect, the end
portion 142 can be extracted from the carrier 1642 at this
situation. In practice, the movable member 164 is an injection part
and usually is made of the same material. The flexibility of the
engaging structure 16424 can be controlled by its thickness. For
example, the thinner the thickness is, the larger the flexibility
is; i.e. the portion of the engaging structure 16424 is more
flexible. Therefore, the holding force only by the engaging
structure 16424 on the end portion 142 can be adjusted by modifying
the thickness of the flexible claws 16424a, 16424c and 16424e for
meeting product requirement. In the embodiment, when the end
portion 142 is inserted into the carrier 1642, the engaging
structure 16424 is not tightly engaged with the end portion 142. So
in practice, the first flexible claw 16424a, the second flexible
claw 16424c, and the third flexible claw 16424e in FIG. 5 can be
spread more; however, the invention is not limited thereto. For
example, when the end portion 142 is inserted into the carrier
1642, the engaging structure 16424 can be designed to provide some
holding force on the end portion 142, which is conducive to a later
insertion of the pencil object 14.
[0030] After the end portion 142 of the pencil object 14 is
inserted in the carrier 1642, the user can push the push portion
16422 by the end portion 142 of the pencil object 14 so as to
retreat the movable member 164 back into the mount structure 162
until the carrier 1642 is accommodated in the accommodating space
16222 of the constraining portion 1622 from the opening 16224,
shown as FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. At this moment, the guided bar 1662
stays at the second position 1664b, so the carrier 1642 cannot
depart from the accommodating space 16222 and is structurally
constrained by the constraining portion 1622. In the embodiment,
the pencil object 14 has a groove 144 formed on the surface of the
end portion 142. When the carrier 1642 is accommodated in the
accommodating space 16222, the first protrusion 16424b, the second
protrusion 16424d, and the third protrusion 16424f are wedged into
the groove 144 so that the engagement strength between the engaging
structure 16424 and the end portion 142 is enhanced. In addition,
in the embodiment, the groove 144 is a circular groove, so the
engagement for the end portion 142 and the engaging structure 16424
is non-directional, which is convenient for the insertion by the
user; however, the invention is not limited thereto. If the user
wants to extract the pencil object 14, the user needs to push the
push portion 16422 by the end portion 142 of the pencil object 14
again so that the guided bar 1662 can slide along the guiding and
positioning groove 1664 to stay at the first position 1664a again.
At this moment, the carrier 1642 departs from the accommodating
space 16222 from the opening 16224. The engaging structure 16424 is
disengaged from the end portion 142. The user therefore can take
the pencil object 14 out easily.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 7, when the carrier 1642 is accommodated in
the accommodating space 16222, the ribs 1622a, 1622b and 1622c of
the constraining portion 1622 can resist the deformation of the
first flexible claw 16424a, the second flexible claw 16424c, and
the third flexible claw 16424e so that the engaging structure 16424
can be engaged with the end portion 142 effectively. Therein the
depth 146 of the first protrusion 16424b, the second protrusion
16424d and the third protrusion 16424f being wedged into the groove
144 is the interference for the end portion 142 to depart from the
engaging structure 16424. In other words, the user needs to apply a
certain force to overcome the above interference so as to depart
the end portion 142 from the engaging structure 16424. In the
embodiment, the first flexible claw 16424a, the second flexible
claw 16424c, and the third flexible claw 16424e do not provide
holding force directly, so the force for overcoming the above
interference depends mainly on the structure strength of the
constraining portion 1622. In practical product design, the
structure strength of the constraining portion 1622 can be designed
to be with some flexibility, so that the extraction on the end
portion 142 is difficult but the structure is undamaged. In
addition, in the embodiment, the profile of the accommodating space
16222 matches the profile of the end portion 142, so the
constraining portion 1622 can support and constrain the carrier
1642 more stable. However, the invention is not limited
thereto.
[0032] It is added that in practice, the forced extraction on the
end portion 142 may occur when the extraction force is larger than
the strength of the positioning structure of the push-push
mechanism 166. At this case, the end portion 142 is still located
in the constraining portion 1622 and engaged with the engaging
structure 16424. The end portion 142 together with the engaging
structure 16424 depart from the accommodating space 16222. So in
principle, it is unnecessary to overcome the above interference.
However, the end portion 142 tends to spread the first flexible
claw 16424a, the second flexible claw 16424c, and the third
flexible claw 16424e during the forced extraction, so the ribs
1622a, 1622b and 1622c apply friction force on the engaging
structure 16424, which indirectly resists the forced extraction on
the end portion 142. Forces for normally inserting and extracting
the pencil object 14 are substantially the same, i.e. to overcome
the elastic force by the spring 1666. For a practical product, the
force magnitude for normally inserting and extracting can be set to
below 450 gw; the force magnitude for the forced extraction can be
set to above 1200 gw. These set values can make the user easily
insert or extract the pencil object 14 and also can use a quite
large force magnitude for the forced extraction to avoid the pencil
object 14 from being extracted unexpectedly, for example due to the
portable electronic apparatus 1 vibrating, unexpected hooking the
pencil object 14, a baby hooking the pencil object 14 and so
on.
[0033] Please refer to FIG. 8, which is another sectional view of
the pencil object 14 and the holding structure 16 in FIG. 6. The
cross section of the pencil object 14 passes through the groove
144. In the embodiment, the geometric center 148 (shown by a cross
mark in FIG. 8) of the cross section is located within an area
(shown by a chain line) enclosed by the first protrusion 16424b,
the second protrusion 16424d, and the third protrusion 15424f; that
is, the first protrusion 16424b, the second protrusion 16424d, and
the third protrusion 16424f can hold the end portion 142
effectively. However, the invention is not limited thereto.
Furthermore, the holding structure 16 can be disposed to coordinate
with the inner wall of the casing 12 opposite to the third
protrusion 16424f for further enhancing the holding effect on the
pencil object 14 by the holding structure 16.
[0034] In the above embodiment, the holding structure 16 holds the
end portion 142 by three flexible claws to; however, the invention
is not limited thereto. Please refer to FIG. 9, which is a
sectional view of the pencil object 14 engaged with the holding
structure according to another embodiment. The position for the
sectional view is equal to that for FIG. 8. The holding structure
in FIG. 9 is similar to the holding structure 16 in structure. The
main difference is that the holding structure in FIG. 9 only uses
the first flexible claw 16424a and the second flexible claw 16424c
disposed oppositely, so when the end portion 142 of the pencil
object 14 is accommodated in the accommodating space 16222, the
first protrusion 16424b and the second protrusion 16424d are wedged
into the groove 144 oppositely. Because the first protrusion 16424b
and the second protrusion 16424d are disposed symmetrically, the
holding structure in FIG. 9 also can provide symmetrical and stable
holding force on the end portion 142.
[0035] Please refer to FIG. 10, which is a sectional view of the
pencil object 14 engaged with the holding structure according to
another embodiment. The difference between the holding structure in
FIG. 10 and the holding structure 16 is that only the first
flexible claw 16424a of the holding structure in FIG. 10 thereon
disposes the first protrusion 16424b. Therefore, if the user wants
to force the pencil object 14 to be extracted, the user only needs
to overcome the interference (i.e. the depth 146) between the first
protrusion 16424b and the pencil object 14. Under the same
condition, the extraction force is smaller than that for the
holding structure 16; however, the holding structure in FIG. 10
still has the function of preventing the pencil object 14 from
being extracted unexpectedly. Other related descriptions about the
forced extraction mechanism refer to the above-mentioned
descriptions about the holding structure 16 and are not described
here. Further, the above embodiments are based on the fact of using
the interference induced by wedging the holding structure into the
end portion 142 to resist the forced extraction by the user. Based
on the similar anti-extraction mechanism, in practice, the engaging
structure of the invention can include only a single flexible claw
thereon disposing a protrusion, for example the engaging structure
including only the first flexible claw 16424a and the first
protrusion 16424b. When the end portion 142 is accommodated in the
accommodating space 16222, the single flexible claw still can use
the protrusion thereon to be engaged with the end portion 142. The
end portion 142 is therefore held by the single flexible claw and
the constraining portion 1622. At this moment, if the user wants to
force the end portion 142 to be extracted, the user also needs to
overcome the interference between the protrusion of the single
flexible claw and the end portion 142.
[0036] Please refer to FIG. 2. Take the first flexible claw 16424a
as example. The first flexible claw 16424a has a free end. The
first protrusion 16424b is formed at the free end. Such design is
conducive to the other portion of the first flexible claw 16424a
stabilizing the holding on the end portion 142. The above
description is also applied to the second flexible claw 16424c and
the third flexible claw 16424e and is not repeated therefor.
However, the invention is not limited thereto. Please refer to FIG.
11, which is a sectional view of the pencil object 15 engaged with
the holding structure 17 according to another embodiment. The
holding structure 17 is substantially similar to the holding
structure 16 in structure. The main difference is that the
constraining portion 1722 of the holding structure 17 is modified
for matching the carrier 1742 of the holding structure 17, such
that when the carrier 1742 is accommodated in the accommodating
space 17222, the constraining portion 1722 can stably support the
carrier 1742 especially to resist the portions of the first
flexible claw 16424a and the second flexible claw 16424c
corresponding to the first protrusion 17424b and the second
protrusion 17424d respectively. At this moment, the first
protrusion 17424b and the second protrusion 17424d are wedged into
the groove 154 of the end portion 152 of the pencil object 15.
Therefore, the carrier 1742 also can hold the end portion 152
effectively. In the structure of the holding structure 17, the
above description is also applied to the third flexible claw and
the third protrusion formed thereon (not shown in FIG. 11) and is
not repeated therefor. In the embodiment, the first protrusion
17424b and the second protrusion 17424d are not disposed at the
free ends of the first flexible claw 16424a and the second flexible
claw 16424c respectively, but the first protrusion 17424b and the
second protrusion 17424d are still capable of being wedged into the
groove 154. The free ends of the first flexible claw 16424a and the
second flexible claw 16424c still can coordinate with the ribs
1722a and 1722b of the constraining portion 1722 to assist in the
holding on the end portion 152. In practice, if the holding
structure 17 is designed under a dimensional constraint, the
portion of the holding structure 17 at the left side of the dashed
line in FIG. 11 can be eliminated for shortening the total length
of the holding structure 17 without excessive influence on the
holding function of the carrier 1742. In addition, in practice, the
disposition of the groove 154 of the end portion 152 can be close
to the tip of the end portion 142; the protrusions 17424b and
17424d are correspondingly disposed. The pencil object 15 can still
be stably held.
[0037] In the above embodiments, the constraining portions 1622 and
1722 are formed in rib structure, but the invention is not limited
thereto. Please refer FIG. 12, which is a side view of the holding
structure 18 according to another embodiment. The holding structure
18 and the holding structure 16 are substantially similar in
structure. The main difference is that the constraining portion
1822 of the holding structure 18 is formed in a tubular structure.
The inner structure of the tubular structure is shown substantially
by dashed lines. The constraining portion 1822 can provide more
complete structural supporting to the engaging structure 18424 by
use of the tubular structure. In such design, the quantity and
disposition of the claws of the engaging structure 18424 can be
more flexible to provide more stable holding structure, for example
two claws, four claws, five claws or more. However, the invention
is not limited thereto.
[0038] Furthermore, for holding structures 16, 17 and 18 in the
above embodiments, the engagement and disengagement of the pencil
objects 14 and 15 and the carriers 1642 and 1742 are performed out
the constraining portions 1622 and 1722 after the carriers 1642 and
1742 extends out the constraining portions 1622 and 1722; however,
the invention is not limited thereto. Please refer FIG. 13 and FIG.
14. FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the pencil object 15 and the
holding structure 19 before being engaged according to another
embodiment. FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the pencil object 15
engaged with the holding structure 19 in FIG. 13. The holding
structure 19 and the holding structure 17 are substantially similar
in structure. The main difference is that it is unnecessary to
extend the carrier 1942 of the holding structure 19 out the
constraining portion 1922 for performing the engagement and
disengagement of the end portion 152 of the pencil object 15.
Therefore, the required action space for the holding structure 19
can be smaller than that for the holding structures 16, 17 and 18.
The design for the holding structure 19 is conducive to assembly
flexibility. In the embodiment, the length of the flexible claws
19424a, 19424c and 19424e of the carrier 1942 is shorter than the
length of the flexible claws 16424a, 16424c and 16424e. The
protrusions 19424b, 19424d and 19424f of the carrier 1942 are still
disposed close to the free ends of the flexible claws 19424a,
19424c and 19424e. The length of ribs 1922a, 1922b and 1922c of the
constraining portion 1922 is longer that the length of the flexible
claws 19424a, 19424c and 19424e. Therefore, when the end portion
152 is structurally constrained by the carrier 1942 together with
the constraining portion 1922 so as to be held, the pencil object
15 has some portion which does not contact the flexible claws
19424a, 19424c and 19424e and is disposed in the accommodating
space 19222. At this moment, the ribs 1922a, 1922b and 1922c can
assist in structurally constraining the pencil object 15. In
practice, the profile of the ribs 1922a, 1922b and 1922c matches
the profile of the pencil object 15 so as to enhance the effect of
assisting constraining. Furthermore, in the embodiment, during the
insertion of the pencil object 15, the pencil object 15 is
constrained by the ribs 1922a, 1922b and 1922c and then contacts
the carrier 1942. Because the structure strength of the ribs 1922a,
1922b and 1922c is higher than that of the flexible claws 19424a,
19424c and 19424e, the structural constraint by the ribs 1922a,
1922b and 1922c can guide the insertion of the pencil object 15 so
that the operation of holding the pencil object 15 is more
smooth.
[0039] It is additionally added that the above embodiments are
based on the fact that the holding structure is an independent
device; however, the invention is not limited thereto. In practice,
a partial structure of the holding structure can be integrated into
the structure of the casing of the portable electronic apparatus.
For example, the constraining portion or the mount structure can be
formed integrated with the casing; that is, the constraining
portion can be formed directly by the inner wall of the casing,
which also realizes the function of the constraining portion
constraining the deformation of the engaging structure.
[0040] As discussed above, the invention uses the constraining
portion to constrain the deformation of the engaging structure to
provide stable holding force without metal spring, which avoids the
problem in the prior art that the holding force by the metal spring
decays because of the elasticity fatigue of the metal spring.
Furthermore, the invention provides flexibility in designing the
holding force quite different to the forces of extraction and
insertion by the property that the engaging structure and the end
portion are disengaged when the carrier is not located in the
accommodating space, which avoids the object held by the holding
structure from being disengaged unexpectedly, so as to meet actual
requirements better.
[0041] Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous
modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made
while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the
above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes
and bounds of the appended claims.
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